The Six Basic Types of Onions

Onions are a staple in every foodie’s kitchen.

They come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, and I use them almost every day. They can be roasted, grilled, pickled, caramelized, deep-fried, or served raw in salads. I throw some on my burgers or tacos. And they’re a staple in soups, pastas, or for making your own stock.

But have you ever wondered:

What’s the difference?

Are onions inter-changeable? Which ones should be used for what?

And are some better for some things than others?

If you’ve ever asked yourself any of these questions, you’re not alone.

Onion confusion is completely normal.

Now let’s be honest… at the end of the day, you could probably substitute any onion for another and get away with it.

(I know I probably just offended a bunch of foodies, so please don’t send me any emails.)

But in the perfect world, it is true that some onions are better for certain applications than others.

So if you want to geek out about onions, here’s the skinny on the 6 basic types of onions you might find in your CSA box, and how to showcase their strengths.

Yellow onions: the best all-around onion there is. If you’re not sure which onion to use, choose this one.

YELLOW ONION: Best All Around Cooking Onion

The workhorse of the onion family, the yellow onion has papery brown skin with a strong flavor. This could be your go-to onion for just about anything. If you can only find one type, this’ll do.

Use them for making French onion soup too.

Interesting fact: Spanish onions are actually a type of yellow onion, with a slightly more delicate flavor.

SWEET ONIONS: Best Frying Onion

Larger and slightly flatter than yellow onions (they look like they’ve been squashed), sweet onions contain extra sugar, making them good for caramelizing.

Their larger size also make them perfect for making onion rings (my favorite diner dish by the way). Sweet onion varieties include Walla Walla and Vidalia.

Sweet onions contain more sugar, making them perfect for caramelization.

WHITE ONIONS: Best Salsa Onion

White onions are white in color (duh), and their flavor is milder and sweeter than yellow onions. These are best for raw applications like fresh salsa, salads, dips, or guacamole.

RED ONIONS: Best Raw Onion

Sweet and mild enough to be eaten raw, both the exterior skin and the flesh of red onions are a purple color, which makes them kind of fun to add into salads where you’re looking to add some color. This is my onion of choice for sandwiches or burgers. This is also a great onion to pickle.

SHALLOTS: Best Vinaigrette Onion

Shallots are small, brown-skinned onions with light purple flesh, and their bulbs can be made up of multiple sections – kind of like garlic cloves. They have a more subtle flavor, and really shine in vinaigrettes or pan sauce. You can also roast them with great success.

Shallots are a mild onion. When you peel their skins off, you can see the different segments or lobes.

GREEN ONION: Best Stir Fry Onion

Green onions, sometimes called scallons, are onions that have not yet matured, so they have a very small bulb. They are great for stir fry. You can use the green tops in a salad as well. And they make a wonderful garnish for soups or tacos.

LEEKS: Best Soup Onion

Yup, technically these guys are an onion, so I had to add them in. They’re great for soups. And the green tops are a powerhouse of nutrients, so I like to use them to make my own vegetable broth.

Are you looking for a community of other foodies who love farm fresh veggies as much as you?

Join our new SlFarms Membership Academy.

No, this isn’t the CSA. This is different.

This is an online virtual academy we created originally for our CSA members, but it’s so valuable that other people have been asking if they can get in too.

Inside the SLFarms Academy, we teach you how to use farm fresh produce in new and unusual ways, so that you can try new foods and get more creative in the kitchen.

There are video trainings on every vegetable we grow, ebooks (with recipes) for every vegetable, a mini training course for CSA Rookies (to help first timers shortcut the learning process of CSA), idea for “exit strategies” for your veggies, freezer meal ideas, a canning club, and even an Instant Pot course.

Each week, we upload one new tutorial into the Academy. For a monthly membership fee,  you have access to all past and future content in the Academy. Plus you get to join our private Facebook group of Toledo foodies so you can tap into the creativity of other super-users. To learn more, go to www.sharedlegacyfarms.com/academy.